Marco Asensio joined Aston Villa on loan from Paris Saint-Germain during the winter transfer window and now the two clubs could end up facing off in the Champions League

The last time the club played in Europe’s premier club competition, in 1980, they were the defending champions By WhoScored Nottingham Forest’s 1-0 win over Manchester City on Saturday was a statement. Nuno Espírito Santo’s side have claimed some impressive results at the City Ground this season. They beat Aston Villa and Tottenham at home in December; they smashed Brighton 7-0 last month; and they have taken points off Liverpool and Arsenal. Yet victory over the defending champions in a battle for a Champions League finish spoke volumes. It was Forest’s first home win against City since Jason Lee bagged a brace and Steve Stone added a third in a 3-0 victory in September 1995. It was a win a long time in the making. Importantly, though, the result wasn’t a huge shock. Forest beat the drop by just six points last season, albeit with a four-point deduction, but they are now third in the table and on course to qualify for the Champions League. They are four points clear of fifth-placed City, with sixth-placed Newcastle a further point back. It feels more likely than not that Forest will return to Europe’s elite club competition for the first time in 45 years, particularly with fifth place in the Premier League likely to be enough to guarantee Champions League football. The last time the club played in the European Cup, in 1980, they were the reigning champions. Continue reading...

Sky Sports Dougie Critchley and Peter Smith analyse how Aston Villa could fare against Club Brugge in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Marcus Rashford looks almost certain to leave Manchester United this summer after joining Aston Villa on loan, but the Red Devils face having to shell out a huge sum to offload him due to his £325,000-a-week salary

Aston Villa have been busy in the transfer market under Unai Emery to put them in good shape in the Champions League and Premier League despite some high-profile exits

All three English clubs win last-16 first-leg matches with Liverpool beating Paris St-Germain after Arsenal thrash PSV Eindhoven and Aston Villa overcome Club Brugge.

Training images from Bodymoor Heath ahead of Club Brugge clash

FixturesAston Villa Vs. Club Brugge - Wed, Mar 12th 2025, 20:00 Matty Cash is fully aware of the threat Club Brugge will pose on Wednesday night as Aston Villa prepare for the second leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie. The right-back, along with manager Unai Emery, was keen to stress that Villa are ready for another tough test against the Belgian champions as they look to book their place in the quarter-finals of Europe’s elite club competition. The Villans, unbeaten in 15 matches on home soil in all competitions, hold a 3-1 advantage from last week’s first leg at Jan Breydelstadion. But, with this the third time Villa will have faced Club Brugge this term, Cash is prepared for another stern challenge. “He (Unai) has been really consistent with his message,” said the defender. “And I think us, as players, know every team in the Champions League can be really hurtful. “Obviously, we have the two-goal lead at the minute, but there’s been many occasions in the past where teams have been leading the first leg and then crashed out after the second. “We have to be consistent and ready for the challenge.” Cash added: “Our full mindset is to win the game and to do everything we can to qualify. “I know we’ve got the two-goal lead but, for us, it’s a 0-0 game and we’re starting again. “We want to try and win the game and it would be good if we could.” Last week’s tie in Belgium saw Brandon Mechele’s 82nd-minute own goal and Marco Asensio’s penalty, after Cash was brought down in the area, hand Villa the initiative. It came after Leon Bailey’s well-taken strike, with just three minutes on the clock, had earlier given the visitors the lead before Maxim De Cuyper quickly equalised. “I did an interview after the game at Brugge and they’re a good team,” Cash added. “Obviously, we played them a few months before and they showed how dominant they were. “I think we had a great result there, we put in a good performance, a strong performance. “But I think there were chances in the game at 1-1, it could have gone either way, really. “I won the penalty and made it 3-1, which is good to get another goal, 2-1 is always a little bit risky but to go 3-1 up is really good away. “But they’re a fantastic team, they beat Atalanta in the round before and Atalanta are really good. “So, it shows how consistent and dominant they are.”

Aston Villa will host Burton Albion in the quarter-finals of this season's Birmingham Senior Cup.  Taking place at the Villans' Bodymoor Heath training ground, the tie will take place on Tuesday, April 1, getting underway from 7pm.  Josep Gombau's Under-21s booked their place in the last eight with victories over Romulus in round two, and Sutton Coldfield in the third round. Villa will be looking to retain the trophy, having won the competition last season for a record 20th time. To view the full Birmingham Senior Cup quarter-final draw, click here. 

Ruben Amorim has made some big calls since taking over as Manchester United boss, including sending Marcus Rashford on loan to Aston Villa and Antony to Real Betis

Promising forward’s Aston Villa journey to continue

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Jonathan Liew and Nooruddean Choudry as Liverpool extend their lead at the top of the Premier League Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email. On the podcast today: Nottingham Forest record a huge win over Manchester City as their dream of Champions League football returning looks even closer to reality. Victories for Chelsea, Brighton and Aston Villa will also have left the champions concerned. Continue reading...

Europa League last-16 return with Sociedad is ‘massive’Backs compatriot Rasmus Højlund to end goal drought Christian Eriksen has admitted that there is “massive pressure” on Manchester United to beat Real Sociedad on Thursday in order to keep alive their hopes of playing European football next season. United enter the Europa League last-16 second leg at Old Trafford with the tie poised at 1-1 after last week’s game at the Anoeta Stadium. After Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal in the Premier League United are 14th on 34 points, 11 behind Aston Villa in seventh – the last place that may earn a Europa Conference place, depending on who wins the domestic cups. United are out of both. Continue reading...

Ruben Amorim parks the bus, Son Heung-min shows he still has some spark and Marc Cucurella fires up ChelseaPremier League top scorers: the latest standings Some observers look at Ruben Amorim and Ange Postecoglou and see the same thing: stubbornness. But there is a big difference between them. With Tottenham, you have no idea what to expect. With Manchester United, you know exactly what to expect. A whole lot of nothing in the first half. Some flickers of fight in the second. Dismal results against middling Premier League teams. Decent ones against teams at the top and the bottom. This was Amorim’s first home game against a “big six” club, but it might as well have been away. He parked the bus. His nominal 3-4-2-1 was actually a 5-4-1. United started with no No 9 and just one real forward, Alejandro Garnacho. It’s three months since any of their strikers scored in the league. Their only goal threat, Bruno Fernandes, has been shunted back to central midfield. Where once they had wingers, now they have full-backs. Even when the bus moves, the handbrake stays on. Tim de Lisle Match report: Manchester United 1-1 Arsenal Match report: Tottenham 2-2 Bournemouth Match report: Liverpool 3-1 Southampton Match report: Nottingham Forest 1-0 Manchester City Match report: Chelsea 1-0 Leicester Match report: Brentford 0-1 Aston Villa Continue reading...